Childress and Morris Honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards
WELCOME, North Carolina (Tuesday, May 23, 2023) – In addition to sharing a love of racing and the outdoors, Richard Childress Racing Chairman and CEO Richard Childress and Bass Pro Shops founder and noted conservationist Johnny Morris are both known for their commitment to the red, white and blue. Their life-time commitment to patriotism was recognized this week during the Helping a Hero Lee Greenwood Patriot Awards dinner at Childress Vineyards.
Childress and Morris were recognized with lifetime achievement awards during the Helping a Hero Lee Greenwood Patriot Awards Dinner at Childress Vineyards. Co-Chaired by Chad and Christy Hartley, Kevin and Shari Wagner and HelpingAHero.org, The Lee Greenwood Patriot Awards Dinner honored our Nation’s wounded warriors and their supporters.
FOX & Friends Weekend Co-host Pete Hegseth was this year’s Master of Ceremonies. Lee Greenwood Patriot Award recipients included Chris and Kelly Janson, Ryan Klesko, Mary Millben, Fred Rothman, with special guests Roger Clemens, Challenger the Eagle, SPC JP Lane, USA (Ret) and Tate Stevens.
Childress has a strong affinity for the U.S. Military. Over the years, he has visited troops overseas in Iraq, Bosnia and Germany. Along with his grandsons, Childress has visited wounded soldiers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He has honored thousands of veterans on his team’s racecars over the years, and hosts hundreds of veterans for breakfast each month at his race shop.
Like Childress, Morris has made notable contributions to our U.S. Military veterans and active-duty service members over the years. Currently, more than 2,600 Bass Pro Shops and Cabella’s Outfitters employees are veterans or active-duty military personnel.
Before the ceremony, Childress and Morris joined Austin Dillon to unveil the patriotic paint scheme that Dillon will race at this year’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Featuring a red, white and blue design, the car calls out Bass Pro Shops’ year-round commitment to active-duty and retired U.S. Military servicemembers and veterans, who receive 10 percent off every purchase, every day.
In addition to sporting a special patriotic design, the windshield header on the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet features the name of United States Navy SEAL Master Chief Petty Officer Mark Crampton, a fallen servicemember. A special decal on the C-Post of the car honors soldier Rusten Smith, who was one of nine service members who passed away in March during a nighttime Blackhawk training accident.
The Coca-Cola 600 airs live on FOX on Sunday, May 28 beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern.
